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By
Cynthia Leitich Smithfor
CynsationsChristian McKay Heidicker is the first-time author of
Cure for the Common Universe (Simon & Schuster, 2016). From the promotional copy:
Sixteen-year-old Jaxon is being committed to video game rehab...ten minutes after he met a girl. A living, breathing girl named Serena, who not only laughed at his jokes but actually kinda sorta seemed excited when she agreed to go out with him.
Jaxon's first date. Ever.
In rehab, he can't blast his way through galaxies to reach her. He can't slash through armies to kiss her sweet lips. Instead, he has just four days to earn one million points by learning real-life skills. And he'll do whatever it takes—lie, cheat, steal, even learn how to cross-stitch—in order to make it to his date.
If all else fails, Jaxon will have to bare his soul to the other teens in treatment, confront his mother's absence, and maybe admit that it's more than video games that stand in the way of a real connection.
Prepare to be cured. How did you approach the research process for your story? What resources did you turn to? What roadblocks did you run into? How did you overcome them? What was your greatest coup, and how did it inform your manuscript?This all began when I told my agent,
John Cusick, that I’d write a YA book about a kid committed to video game rehab. His excitement was infectious, and I got that fluttery feeling of embarking on a new adventure. Of darkness unlit. Of stones unturned. Of all the little surprises that come with blindly slashing out with my pen and hoping for the bloody best.
That fluttery feeling vanished when I realized I hadn’t played video games for years, let alone had any clue what it was like to be addicted to them.
In order to survive as a freelance writer, my entire life had become carefully structured to eliminate time-wasters. I worked all possible hours, filled my downtime with reading, exercising, eating healthily, and not buying expensive things like the next generation of PlayStation or Xbox. I had become completely unversed in the world of video games and unhealthy amounts of playing.
I realized if I tried to write a book about video games, I’d out myself as a fraud. I’d make out-of-date gaming references, the community would eat me for breakfast, and I’d become next on
Gamergate’s death list. (Now that I know a thing or two, I can confidently say that many gaming references do not go out of fashion, and that being on Gamergate’s threat list is actually a good thing.)
Let’s face it. As novelists we’re all impostors. We don’t really remember what it’s like to have that first kiss. We’ve never reached to the back of the wardrobe and in place of fur felt pine needles. Our goal is to seem the least impostery as possible. To convince the reader that this stuff is legit.
|
Christian's office & Lucifer Morningstar Birchaus (aka writer cat) |
Still, the idea was good. Video game rehab? I’d never seen that before, and that’s a rare thing in any medium. So I needed a plan. My plan was this: get addicted to video games.*
So out with work!
Sod off, schedules!
Be gone, exercise routines!
Forget healthy eating and gluten intolerance. Forget that coffee turns me into an absolute monster and dairy turns my insides into the Bog of Eternal Stench!
I bought myself a month and turned my life into that of a sixteen-year-old video game addict on summer vacation. I drank coffee from noon (when I woke up) until three in the morning when I went to sleep. (My character drinks energy drinks, but one can only go so far, dear reader.) I slept too much. I didn’t exercise. Sometimes I put whiskey in my morning coffee. I only read gaming news, but only if I really felt like it and only if I had to wait for a game to download.
Mostly, I played video games. I played a
lot of video games. I continued to play throughout the duration of writing the book, but in October 2012, I played so much it would have made the characters in my book quirk their eyebrows.
I was trying to get addicted. All of my dopamine release came from beating levels, leveling up characters, downloading DLCs. When I went to the bathroom, I brought my iPad with me and played Candy Crush. (Considering what my new and worsened diet was doing to my digestion, I played a lot of Candy Crush.)
I beat Dark Souls. I beat Sword & Sworcery. I played Starcraft and Hearthstone and Diablo III. I bought a Nintendo 3DS and played through all the Mario and Zelda games I’d missed out over all the years. (Definitely the highlight.) I got lost in world after world, and adulthood as I knew it became a faint haze around an ever-glowing screen.
And guess what? It was hard.
You’d think it would be easy doing as little as humanly possible, only filling one’s time with video games.
Video games are fun. Many are designed to keep you falling into them again and again, to captivate you enough to stick around for hours on end. But I had so carefully trained myself to not be that way so I could write.
During this indulgent month of October, I felt lazy. I felt sick. I felt jittery and uncomfortable in my skin and a little voice inside my head kept saying, “No, no, no. Stop doing nothing. You’re dying.”
I was disgusted with myself. I liked the games I was playing, but they didn’t bring the same satisfaction of selling a short story.
Like I said, it was really hard. But it was nothing compared to what I was going to embark on next.
I ended my month of terror with a bang. On Halloween night, at 11:56 p.m., I drank four shots of whiskey and became a vomiting sprinkler on my friends’ front lawn. (Apologies, Alan and Alan).
My girlfriend at the time drove me home and poured me into bed. I slept for thirteen hours. . . and when I awoke late afternoon on Nov. 1, I began something new. I didn’t put on the coffee pot. I didn’t boot up the PlayStation to see if any system updates needed downloading. I didn’t bring the iPad to the bathroom.
Instead, I entered Phase 2 of my research.
The character in my book was going to rehab, where all creature comforts would be taken away from him. And so I spent the entirety of November without sugar, caffeine, music, phone, books*, internet*, or of course, video games.
I called it my no-nothing November.
(Er, no stimulants, at least. But that isn’t quite as catchy.)
After surviving a two-day hangover unaided by stimulants of any sort, I crawled out of bed . . . and I went out into the world. I ran in the morning. I talked to people at coffee shops while sipping herbal tea. I took ukulele lessons. I learned how to cross-stitch. I cleaned Alan’s and Alan’s puke-covered lawn (just kidding I didn’t; I just realized this would have been a nice thing to have done (sorry again, Alans)). I studied life without my nose buried in a book.*
And mostly, I wrote. I wrote about a kid who had all of his comforts taken away and was forced to earn points through a sort of gamified therapy. I don’t know if any of this actually worked or not . . . I’m not sure if it really added anything to the book.
So, um, take that into consideration before flying off the rails for your own book.
*I use the term "addicted" lightly. Read
Cure for the Common Universe for a full explanation.
**The most difficult, by far.
***I also didn’t surf the internet, save my email—for emergencies and so I wasn’t fired from my job.
****Ug, this is starting to sound like some sort of new age instruction manual, which I swear it is not; I just wanted to see what it would be like to be the character in my book.
As a contemporary fiction writer, how did you deal with the pervasiveness of rapidly changing technologies? Did you worry about dating your manuscript? Did you worry about it seeming inauthentic if you didn't address these factors? Why or why not?Video games are the fastest growing medium in the world, so it’s pretty difficult to remain relevant when writing about current games. Fortunately, there’s a persistent spine in gaming (your Blizzards, your Nintendos, your Easter eggs). I tried to focus on those mainstays and accept the fact that no matter what I did I would probably piss off and please an equal number of gamers.
If I had attempted to copy the language of gamers verbatim, I would have set myself up for failure. (Although having a game-addicted roommate during the edits of this book definitely helped me sprinkle in some legit jargon.) That’s why I like to follow the
Joss Whedon rule of leading the charge on language instead of attempting to copy it.
For the dialogue, I ended up stealing a lot of hilarious lines from my friends—truly iconic things that I lifted straight out of real-life conversations and put into the text. During a rousing game of racquetball, a friend aced me, stuck his racquet in my face, and screamed, “Nobody puts princess in a castle!” A barista once mentioned how stepping on a LEGO was a lot more rage inducing than playing Grand Theft Auto. And a previous student told me about a—ahem—particular sensory combination involving Nutella. I blushed . . . and then I stole it.
I stole all of these with everyone’s permission, of course.
By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 3/19/2015
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The time had come… after a pleasant drive through the backroads of RI through the snow drifts and pines…
…so began the 2015 edition of the Whispering Pines Writers Retreat at the Alton Jones campus! This was a special year, though- the 20th anniversary of it’s beginning. I have been coming since I was the illustrator mentor in 2007. Every year is full of inspiration, bonding, and renewed vigor for our writing careers. It is also full of cake. SO MUCH CAKE. And food that magically appears. It is another world, to be sure.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Mary Pierce have been the co-directors for many years, and have decided to step down this year. There’s no way they would go out without a bang, and it started right away! KidLit Jeopardy was a great way to kick it off andstart on that bonding I was talking about. It’s always a laugh fest. My team came in 3rd place (pretty decent)!
My favorite category is BUNNIES.
Hayley Barrett gives Lynda a going-away present…
…and it was fascinating! “Embrace the journey” was a good theme for the whole weekend.
Mary Pierce and Kristin Russo got mini trophies for being a driving force (literally) for the retreat.
NESCBWI RA Sally Riley and incoming retreat director Julie Kingsley get commemorative staplers, for holding things together. Julie will be joined by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum as co-director of next year’s Whispering Pines retreat.
Co-director Mary receives a superhero cape for going up, up, and away above the usual requirements!
Some of the mentors: agents Erin Murphy and Ammi-Joan Paquette, and editors Sylvie Frank, Kendra Levin, and Mallory Kass.
Laurie Murphy and Linda Crotta Brennan were recognized as the originators of the retreat 20 years ago.
Greenhouse Literary agent John Cusick gave great tips on ignoring the nagging voice that tells you you can’t write, and how to carve out legit writing time in your life. As both a writer and an agent, he knows intimately what he’s talking about.
Lynda and Mary pulled off a pretty incredible surprise by bringing back SIX previous mentors just to be on a panel about “what I wished I knew when I was starting out”. She had asked me casually to weigh in on this subject, but I didn’t know it would become a full-out panel discussion with all these fantastic writers and illustrators. Color me humbled. It was a real high point of the event!
Mentors, past and present: Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Kim Newton Fusco, Leslie Connor, Jennifer Thermes, Kelly Murphy, Erin Dionne, Ammi-Joan Paquette, Carlyn Beccia, Me, Barbara O’Connor, and Brian Lies. Thanks Pam Vaughan for this photo!
Agents Ammi-Joan Paquette and Erin Murphy turned the tables asked each other questions. Erin looks for things she didn’t know she liked until she read them; it’s the exceptions to the rules that grab her. Ammi-Joan is open to any genre and concedes that there is no one-size-fits-all path in a career.
First pages in the cozy lodge. The mentors really went above and beyond this year is their discussions of the first pages, giving us meaty and useful critiques.
Mallory Kass, Sylvie Frank, Kendra Levin, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Ammi-Joan Paquette, John Cusick, and Erin Murphy.
Carlyn, bringin’ the glamour and spreading it around. “Give me more zhush!”
Food. So much food. Food that we didn’t have to prepare, and dishes that magically disappeared after, only to be replaced by cake. Such is the way of Whispering Pines.
Writer girls Sandy Smith Budiansky and Brook Gideon. The smiles say it all.
Senior Editor Kendra Levin, from Viking, is not only a great editor, but a life coach. It was excellent to hear how she blends these ingredients to bring out the best in each book. I won’t think of elevators the same way again!
Jennifer O’Keefe has the uncanny ability to paint gorgeous watercolors during the retreat!
Editor Sylvie Frank from Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books gave a great inside look at the editorial process. I loved how she makes her own dummies of manuscripts just to become one with the flow of each story. That’s dedication!
Kristin Russo stepping up and sharing her writing exercise.
Mallory Kass from Scholastic looks for books that transport the reader, and immerse them in a new world. She seeks characters that have such a unique world view that it colors the reader’s view, too. She was quite a character herself, relating publishing to the dating world in a disturbingly accurate way!
Adieu, Whispering Pines, for another year. You never fail to bring out the best in everyone.
By: JOANNA MARPLE,
on 11/19/2014
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As soon as I saw Vin Vogel’s wonderful banner for this year’s PiBoIdMo, run by Tara Lazar, and knew that Vin had written and illustrated a picture book about YETIS, I knew I had to interview him. Vin Vogel is … Continue reading →
James Dashner, Carol Lynch Williams, Lisa Mangnum, Ann Cannon, agents, and an editor. Another fantastic WIFYR is in the books.
I don’t know how Carol Williams manages to pull this magical week off every year, but she does. And keeps up on her personal writing. And plays Mom to her five daughters. The lady is amazing. She can dance, too.
Ann Cannon was awesome again. We had a baker’s dozen in our workshop this year. When the enrollment looked small, Ann had assigned 20 pages to share. Then one of the instructors dropped out and our class absorbed some of those writers and critiquing that many pages from so many people became a task. Certainly not in negative way. There is something rewarding about working with other writers, all helping each other lift their craft.
One of my favorite presenters was Lisa Mangum. She had a session on pitching your work and another on reader grabbing first lines and openings. For pitching, it depends on the situation. She touched on the tradition 30 second “elevator” pitch, but sometimes you may not have that much time. At a book signing at Costco, for example, you may have only two seconds to interest someone. She gave suggestions for boiling down your book to it’s essence for situations like that.
John Cusick, agent for Greenhouse Literary Agency and a fiction writer on his own, gave an inspiring presentation. One of his tricks for staying on task during his writing moments is a timer program that does not allow email or internet interruptions. As far as pushing yourself to write, he said, nobody cares if you don’t finish your novel. I care.
Those were just a few of the many intriguing and energizing moments. Start stashing away your nickels and quarters now because Carol will be bringing this conference back again next June.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
I don’t know how she does it, but Carol Lynch Williams seems to always pull in some big names to the WIFYR conference and this year is no different.
Thursday’s keynote speaker will be The Maze Runner author, James Dashner. The trilogy includes The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure and the movie hits the theaters in September. The Maze Runner is what he is most notable for, but Dashner has also written The 13th Reality series, the Jimmy Fincher series and two books in the Mortality Doctrine series.
The book I’m reading now is book one of The Infinity Ring, A Mutiny in Time. As a WIP is a time travel book, I wanted another perspective on the genre and Dashner starts with an interesting premise. Modern society is dystopic, and Christopher Columbus did not discover America. Dashner’s characters must travel back in time to repair breaks in history, such as the one in which the mutineers on the Santa Maria prevented his famous discovery. Similar to the 39 Clues series, each the book is written by a different author, including Utah’s own Jennifer Nielsen and Matt Kirby (a current and former WIFYR instructor respectfully). Scholastic Books has picked it up and has online games that go with it. Talk about use of social media.
Attendees at WIFYR will have greater access to the publisher guests. Editor Kristin Ostby will be there from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Agent John Cusick returns and he represents Greenhouse Literary Agency. The other agents are Michelle Witte from Mansion Street Literary Management and Amy Jameson of A+B Works.
The once thing about this conference is that these agents and editors respect the time and energy writers put into writing and their commitment to the craft. Utah has been noticed by the publishing world and they come to WIFYR seeking that talent.
James Dashner’s keynote is Thursday afternoon, June 19. Conference attendees, of course, get in. Others may come for free, however they must have a ticket, a copy of which just happens to be below and above. Print it out and present it for admission. Print out several and bring your writer friends, too.
(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)
By: Kathy Temean,
on 5/12/2014
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HOT OF THE PRESSES:
Laurie Wallmark’s book ADA, about a smart little girl who likes science and math was sold to Marissa Moss at Creston Books, by Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency.
Laurie had a critique with Ginger Harris of the Liza Royce Agency at the last NJ SCBWI annual conference. She and Liza Fleissig expressed interest in Ada.
After six revisions based on their and Marissa Moss’s feedback, Creston books made an offer.
Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has bought world rights to INN BETWEEN by Marina Cohen, in a two-book deal.
The story follows 12-year-old Quinn, who is driving across country with her best friend’s family when a stopover at a creepy Victorian hotel in middle of the Nevada desert turns terrifying.
Publication is set for winter 2016;
John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary was the agent.
Nanci Stockton Turner-Steveson has signed a contract for Swing Sideways, AND another as-yet-unwritten book with Rosemary Brosnan, Executive Director at HarperCollins.
When I asked Nanci to describe the book this is what she wrote: My editor (wow, did you read that?) referred to Swing Sideways as a “timeless and heartfelt” middle grade novel.
It is the story of two girls from opposite sides of the country who meet one summer and form an unlikely friendship while struggling with their own challenges, and the discovery of a secret that links them together in a surprising and heart wrenching way.
Illustrator Nancy Cote ( featured on Illustrator Saturday) illustrated Tori Corn’s new picture book Dixie Wants and Allergy published by Sky Pony Press. Both Nancy and Tori are represented by the Lisa Royce Agency.
Dixie Wants an Allergy provides a comical and engaging approach for children who are beginning to learn about and who are coping with allergies—and who also have trouble finding what makes them unique. Corn’s playful text and Cote’s inviting illustrations encourage children to accept those with differences while learning that wanting what others have is not always a good idea. For ages 3 to 6, and a good addition to any preschool or Kindergarten classroom for read-aloud time. This book not only introduces children to the realities of allergies, which many of their peers will have, but also teaches the important lesson of being careful what you wish for.
*****
Nancy Armo, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday has signed a contract with Peachtree Press for her first written and illustrated picture book titled, A FRIEND FOR MOLE.
Here is the Publisher Market announcement: Nancy Armo’s A FRIEND FOR MOLE, about an accidental encounter between Mole and Wolf, one afraid of the light, the other afraid of the dark, who together learn that friends are all they need to conquer their fears, to Kathy Landwehr at Peachtree, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2015, by Anna Olswanger at Liza Dawson Associates (World).
*****
I just learned that Eliza Wheeler, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday did the artwork for Holly Black’s DOLL BONES. I have had that book on my wish list since it came out. Had I realized the illustrations inside and out were by Eliza, I would already have it on my bookshelf.
*****
What I don’t get is, out of the seven people in this post, only the first two let me know about their success. Are people just shy about doing something worth shouting from the rooftops? I tell every illustrator that I feature to please let me know when something good happens and I really do mean it. I am very happy to hear about good things when they happen. Please don’t rely on me to find them.
Congratulations to everyone!
Remember this weekend there are two great book signings in the North Jersey area:
S is for SEA Glass
Doris Ettlinger
Fair Haven NJ – May 16, 3:30-4:30 pm
River Road Books
Clinton NJ - May 17, 1-3 pm
Clinton Book Shop
Pandemic Book Launch Party
Yvonne Ventresca
Sunday, May 18th, 2 pm
WORDS Bookstore
179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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By: Kathy Temean,
on 10/3/2013
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CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Please remember to send in your illustrations for October. It is a great way to get seen and keep your name out there to get noticed. Send them to Kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail.com with October Illustrations in the subject area. Please submit .jpgs at least 500 pixels wide.
Emily Seife associate editor at Scholastic Press, has agreed to be our Guest Critiquer for October’s First Page winners. She works with award-winning authors such as Cynthia Lord, Philip Reeve, Daphne Benedis-Grab, James Proimos, and many others. She is an editor on the Infinity Ring multiplatform series, and is the author of The Hunger Games Tribute Guide. Emily is especially looking for: Young adult and middle grade fiction: stories with a strong voice and emotional core, contemporary humor, magical realism, mystery. She says she is not a good fit for: high fantasy, paranormal.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/illustrator-saturday-kristi-valiant/
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/illustrator-saturday-hazel-mitchell-2/
Click this for the original link for Book and Agent John Cusick’s Interview.
If you didn’t win, check back on Sunday for a chance to get your hands on Cherry Money Baby.
Winners please send me your physical address, so your book can be sent to you.
You can still leave a comment for a chance to win the following books:
Click this link for Dianne Ochiltree’s Firefly Night. Winner announced on Sunday.
Click this link for Pink Cupcake Magic written by Katherine Tegan and illustrated and given away by Kristin Varner. Have to Dec. 1st to leave a comment on this link.
For writers who like using a picture prompt, you may use the above illustration by Shawna JC Tenney for inspiration. Shawna was featured on illustrator Saturday April 20th. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/illustrator-saturday-shawna-jc-tenney/
WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “October First Page Critique” or “October First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre.
DEADLINE: October 24th
RESULTS POSTED: November 1st.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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By: Kathy Temean,
on 7/9/2012
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There’s a Whole Universe Out There: World Building Workshop
Given by John Cusick
Written by Kelly Ann Owens
Hansel released his sister’s hand to check his GPS. It had been two miles since leaving the sixth village house. He returned the device to his satchel next to the spoons. The last preserved palace should be… yup, lacquered licorice and lollipops straight ahead. I wonder how well this former contest queen has aged, thought Hansel. He inched toward the gingerbread door to read the faded gold type. A shellacked blue ribbon identified the house: First Prize – 1934. “Just ask to see her golden mixing spoon,” instructed Hansel. “And remember, don’t eat the sweets!”
Imagination. It is the key to world building. Take any familiar tale, such as Hansel and Gretel, add your own twist to it, and transform the texture of the story into something entirely new. Authors can change the world.
John Cusick used M.T. Anderson’s Feed to illustrate strong world building techniques. Authors build worlds that readers can visualize in their minds. This requires carefully crafting the story’s physical setting, time period, societal norms, and each character’s personal history in that world. While listening to Anderson’s opening, participants were whisked away with engaging characters to a futuristic world.
Mr. Cusick modeled fictional world building using two methods. The outside-in approach begins with a world divided into regions. For example, humans inhabit one half, wizards the other. Build the wizards’ world by creating their education system, economy, and living arrangements. Within the education system, delineate various schools. Each school can be further subdivided into dormitories. Living in one is the protagonist – ready to interact with every other part of this world.
An alternative method takes the opposite approach; build from the inside out. Begin with a character or incident, and create all of the parts of a society. Some authors sketch a map to inspire story elements. Others give the world a sense of history by traveling back in time. Consider the setting one year ago, five years ago, ten years ago, and even a century ago. Has the area been repurposed over time? How do locals feel about it? Do visitors feel the same? Characters may look at places with completely different points of view. Multiple layers of feelings add reality to the world you are creating.
The setting and its constraints shape a character’s motivation. Mr. Cusick challenged workshop participants to experiment with this concept during a writing exercise. Starting with a known tale, Hansel and Gretel, participants built their own societal constructs for the children’s world, including the commerce, culture, and government of the society. Writers created the established norms for the candy houses and their occupants. The protagonists’ motivations for venturing into the woods developed. The result: as many variations of this timed-honored tale as participants in the workshop.
World building. It is more than just an address. It’s your character’s entire universe.
Kelly Ann, thanks for taking the time to share what you learned from John Cusick’s Workshop. I was in John’s other workshop and he did a great job. Sounds like he did the same good job with this workshop.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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By: Kathy Temean,
on 6/2/2012
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The list below is by no means all the books being sold at the conference on Saturday and Sunday, but some of the books are limited in the amount we have ordered. Last year we ran out of Grace Lin’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON and with so many big names, author and illustrator combos, and new books on this list, I wanted to give everyone a chance to reserve the books they would like to purchase from the list below. This way we can try to order more for the weekend, if needed.
Please e-mail Darlene Beck Jacobson [email protected] with the books you would like to secure by the end of Tuesday and we will make sure they are set aside with your name on them for pick-up at the conference. All the books will be sold at regular price.
Kate DeCamillo & Harry Bliss – Louise, Adventures of a Chicken (get two autographs)
Kate DiCamillo – Bink & Gollie; Two for One – Hardcover *NEW Early Sale
Ame Dyckman, Dan Yaccarino BOY + BOT *New Selling last of first printing (Get two autographs)
Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion *NEW (Get two autographs)
Leeza Hernandez – Dog Gone! *NEW Early Sale
Harry Bliss – Bailey at the Museum *New
Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane [Paperback and hardcover]
The Magician’s Elephant [Paperback and hardcover]
Because of Winn-Dixie [Paperback and hardcover]
The Tale of Despereaux [Paperback and hardcover]
Bink & Gollie [Paperback]
Mercy Watson to the Rescue [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this Way Comes [Paperback]
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo [Paperback]
Dan Yaccarino
All the Way to America
Harry Bliss
Bailey
Diary of a Worm
JohnCusick (agent)
Girl Parts
Daniel Nayeri (editor)
Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow
Leila Sales (editor)
Mostly Good Girls
Past Perfect
Harold Underdown
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books
If you are not attending the conference and would like to request a signed copy of a book, you can send Darlene a request and we will get them autographed for you and ship them to your address after you have paid for the price of the book and shipping.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
Agent,
authors and illustrators,
Book,
Editors,
opportunity Tagged:
Ame Dyckman,
Dan Yaccarino,
Harry Bliss,
John Cusick
I am happy to announce that Agent John Cusick of the Scott Treimel NY Literary Agency has agreed to critique four first pages that are submitted for the First Page Picture Prompt for the month of April.
Besides being a great agent, John is also a great author. If you haven’t read Girl Parts, you should. I know everyone’s taste are different, but I totally loved it. I thought it was well-written, very creative, clever, dramatic, and fun.
Want to meet John? He is part of this year’s New Jersey SCBWI June 8 -9 Conference in Princeton, NJ.
He is doing critiques and conducting two popular workshops:
Bad Guys Have More Fun: Villians, Antagonists, Anti-heroes
There’s a Whole Universe Out There: World Building
www.regonline.com/njscbwi2012conference Don’t miss out!
Here is the picture prompt you should use to inspire your first page.
It is by illustrator Joanne Friar: http://www.joannefriar.blogspot.com/ I think her illustration gives you lots of room to let your imagination soar.
WRITERS: Deadline to submit is April 22nd.
Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “April 22nd First Page Prompt” in the subject line.
ILLUSTRATORS: Here is your chance to show off a little. I am looking for illustrations that celebrtes the month of April. This gives you a lot of leeway. I may post some as they come in during the, but I will definitely post all on April 30th, so I need to receive your illustrations no later than April 24th. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and includes a blurb about you and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “April Illustration” in the subject box.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
Agent,
Writer's Prompt,
writing excercise Tagged:
Agent,
Critique,
Joanne Friar,
John Cusick,
Looking for Illustrations,
Scott Treimel Literary Agency
What a great account of our amazing weekend, Liz. And I loved your wonderful pictures. Makes me want to head back NOW!!
Lovely summary and photos! Thanks for doing this! It was so fun to be a part of this special event.
You write the best posts, Liz. I felt like I was there again. Thanks for the pix, and the great reminders of some of the details that made the weekend so special. It WAS great to hang out with you!
Enjoyed reliving the weekend through your post…great pictures!
Liz, Thank you for returning us to the Pines.